


Next Day

by ActuallyStardust



Category: Sly Cooper (Video Games)
Genre: Adventure & Romance, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-13 12:15:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29401815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ActuallyStardust/pseuds/ActuallyStardust
Summary: After defeating Dr. M and escaping Kaine island Sly goes back to doing what he does best alongside his friends. Carmelita closes in on the Cooper gang but just when it seems like she has them in her grasp, something happens that turns the world upside down for everyone.
Relationships: Bentley/Penelope (Sly Cooper), Sly Cooper/Carmelita Fox
Kudos: 3





	1. Operation Pyramid Crusher

**Author's Note:**

> This fanfic is also on fanfiction.net under the same name. Suffice to say I am the same person.
> 
> Also something story-related.
> 
> Two things differ from established canon. Firstly, Bentley is no longer wheelchair bound thanks to advances in medical science. Secondly, Carmelita was unable to reach the final room in the Cooper vault therefor Sly never goes the "I lost my memory route". He stays with the gang. Please enjoy.

9:30 PM, New Orleans

"Bentley, I'm in position on the overpass with Murray, how are things going on your end?"

"Roger that Sly. Penelope says that the trucks carrying the cash from Ponzi's pyramid scheme should be arriving at your position any second now. I've hacked into the city's traffic light system so no other vehicles should pass through. Penelope's providing aerial reconnaissance so if anything suspicious happens we'll know."

"Got it. Murray's already blocked the street, once those trucks stop, I'll swoop in and get the money."

"Roger. Over and out."

The binocucom went silent. Sly turned his attention to the empty street below him. His focus was broken as Murray asked him a question regarding not the heist, but rather, some personal feelings about the past. "Hey um, Sly?"

"What is it big guy?" Sly responded.

"Do you ever wonder how things would have been had everyone stayed in the gang after the vault heist?"

"Well I have to admit, having Dimitri, the Guru and even the Panda King on the team would have allowed us to score much grander… scores. But I wouldn't say that I 'miss' working with them. I prefer the gang smaller. Besides, you, I and Bentley grew up together. I can't say the same about the other guys."

Their heart-to-heart conversation was interrupted as Penelope's voice rang through the binocucom.

"Sly do you read?"

"I read you, what's going on?"

"The trucks are almost on top of you but we might have a problem."

"What's wrong?"

"Multiple cars managed to slip through alongside the trucks. They look civilian but… I have a bad feeling about this one."

"What'd Bentley have to say about that?"

"He insisted that we can't abort now. It's very unlike him to be this reckless."

"Hmm… right. Look we likely don't have time to abort now. We'll go along with the plan. If someone's on to us, make sure you're not caught. With you on the outside our chances of escape will be better than ever."

"Roger that Sly. Be careful. Over and out."

As the raccoon stopped talking and turned his attention back to the street he saw the trucks turn the corner and move toward his direction. A black sedan was barely visible at the far end of the road. The pit bulls driving the trucks were fairly large and Sly knew for a fact that they were packing heat. Murray was here in case things got hairy but Sly was certain that the best approach was stealth. The trucks finally went underneath the overpass. Sly heard them pull the brakes. The time was now. He leapt off the overpass and landed gracefully and quietly behind the trucks. The pit bulls had gotten out of the two trucks and were staring at the roadblock Murray had set up. As Sly approached the back doors of the first truck he heard the wheels of the black sedan screech as the driver floored the pedal, causing the car to almost fly towards him. It was quickly followed by a second car, also screeching down the road and stopping right at the entrance of the overpass, blocking a potential escape route. As the goons turned their attention to the black sedans and not the roadblock, even more, similarly black, unmarked vehicles surrounded Sly. A paddy wagon disguised as a flower company van arrived at the overpass alongside four more black cars, surrounding Murray as well. Outside stepped alligators in body armor, armed to the teeth and bearing the FBI insignia, alongside a very familiar fox.

"Freeze! All of you are under arrest!"

"Inspector Fox! Fancy meeting you here." Replied Sly, not missing a beat.

"Quiet down Cooper. Men, grab the pit bulls, I'll handle the raccoon myself."

Sly glanced up above him, to see Murray leaning over the edge of the overpass, his hands cuffed behind his back. "Just run for it Sly! Don't worry about me!" shouted Murray as he was being taken away. Sly scanned the area around him but could see no escape route. Both the way in and out was blocked by cars and a wall of armed FBI gators. Sly smiled and put down his cane, acknowledging that he had been outplayed. This time. The pit bulls behind him didn't intend to go down as easily however. They tried reaching for their guns but the FBI agents quickly subdued them with some well-timed blasts from their own weapons. The goons fell dizzily on the street, allowing the gators to move in and cuff them. At the same time Carmelita cautiously approached Sly, then quickly slapped a pair of handcuffs around the raccoon's wrists. She then picked up Sly's cane and proceeded to her undercover police car with the raccoon in tow.

10:00 PM, New Orleans, police station.

The officer in charge of the interrogation stepped out of the room, feeling disappointed in himself. Carmelita turned and questioned him as soon as she noticed him coming out of the room. "Well?"

"I'm sorry inspector, he didn't buckle either." Responded the young officer.

"I see. I didn't really expect him to crack. But Bentley confessed, we should still have enough to put them away. For now I want you to send a message that all available resources are to be used to track down the last member of the gang, Penelope."

"Yes ma'am!" The officer quickly left to carry out his orders. Carmelita went inside the interrogation room to transfer Sly to the holding cell.

"We've got to stop meeting like this, eh inspector?" Sly smiled as he asked his sarcastic question. Carmelita sighed as she released Sly from the table and cuffed his hands behind his back once more. A sad expression crossed her face but quickly went away. She led the raccoon to his cell, inside of which were Bentley and Murray as well. As soon as the door shut Sly asked his friends the only question that was on his mind right now.

"What happened out there? How did they get us?"

Bentley hesitated as he replied. "I- I'm sorry Sly, Murray. It's my fault. They must have traced my hack back to its source because they busted down the door to the safe house and caught me red-handed. They got me just before you got into position at the overpass Sly."

Sly and Murray were both equally shocked to hear this. Murray responded first. "But… why didn't you try to tell us Bentley? We would've helped you!"

"They… they told me they caught Penelope and threatened to harm her if I didn't cooperate. I was afraid that they forced her to play along just like they forced me."

"What?! That's insane!" Sly yelled out in shock.

"How could inspector Fox do such a thing?" Murray asked.

"There's no way that was her. Carmelita wouldn't use such an underhanded tactic. Someone else must be pulling the strings here." Responded the raccoon.

"Who did it and why must wait. We need to find a way out of here first." Bentley continued.

"You're right. Look, Penelope isn't here so she must have gotten away, if we can find some way to contact her she might be able to help us break out of here." Sly concluded.

Sly, Bentley and Murray all tried to think of some way to contact Penelope or break out of the cell on their own. However, with their equipment confiscated, the double locked cell door and the lack of windows inside the cell, it made executing any plan difficult. Seconds quickly turned to minutes and minutes turned to hours. Eventually they were far too exhausted to keep going and they all fell asleep inside the cramped cell.


	2. Imprisoned by choice

6:55 AM, New Orleans, police station

The gang was suddenly awakened from their sleep to hear as well as see Carmelita banging on their cell door. As soon as the fox saw them get up she opened the door to their cell and walked in. "Come on, you're getting transferred to a different station."

"At seven in the morning? Who wants to see us so desperately?" complained Sly as he rubbed the back of his neck. He then noticed something. Though Carmelita tried her best to hide it, it was clear by her gait and her eyes that she had gotten no sleep whatsoever that night. Something was definitely troubling her. She kept quiet as she cuffed the gang and marched them all to a big van outside the station. A large duffel bag sitting on the front seat was visible through the chain links separating the back of the van from the front. Carmelita began driving, keeping just a hair under the speed limit. After a couple of turns the gang realized that things were not as they seemed. Sly turned to his friends.

"Guys, does this look like the way to a cop station?"

Bentley stayed in thought for a bit before responding. "Not at all. There are no cop stations this way. I'm not sure where we're being taken but given our current course, I think it's somewhere outside the city."

"Should we escape now then?" Murray asked. "I could try to bash down this door."

Sly examined the door and gave a slight shake of the head. "Save your strength pal, this door looks to be double reinforced with steel. I don't think even you could break it down."

"True." Said Bentley "Besides, we'll need to somehow reacquire my bombs and sleep darts and Sly's cane before escaping. For now I think the best thing to do is wait it out."

As soon as Bentley finished his sentence the van quickly swerved around a car careening down the road, causing everyone to lose their balance. Sly pressed his face up against the chain links and tried to look outside through the van's windows. The streets were quickly filling up with vehicles moving at breakneck speed up and down the roads. Something was clearly going on that had everyone in New Orleans scared. Eventually they got out of the city and the van sped up even more.

When the van finally stopped they were in front of what looked like a bomb shelter. Carmelita picked up the duffel bag, got out of the truck, opened the door to the bunker and then opened the back doors of the van, with her grip firm on her shock pistol.

"Alright, get inside there, right now. Don't try to run or I'll zap you."

The three criminals reluctantly walked down the stairs to the bunker, unsure of what else there was to do as they were still in cuffs. Carmelita shut the door to the bunker and followed them down, released them from their handcuffs, then hurried to turn on the radio plugged into one of the walls. As she was trying to find a signal the gang took in their surroundings. This first room was quite bare, there was a white plastic table and a few matching chairs, a smaller table with the radio on top and, on the far side of the room, a cabinet with a few different bottles inside. There was also an old computer and the ever-present hum of what Bentley assumed to be the generator powering this place. Sly was ready to make a sarcastic remark when the radio suddenly popped to life and everyone heard a very unsettling news broadcast from a local news outlet.

"-followed by blinding flashes. Once again we have confirmation that nuclear bombs have struck New York, Washington DC and various areas in California. It is currently unknown where the next target will be. Seek shelter. This has been our final broadcast."

The signal cut out. Absolute quiet ruled inside the bunker as everyone tried to process what they had just heard. Sly finally broke the silence. His voice was cracking. "How? How could this happen? Nuclear wars don't just break out in a single day!"

"Not a single day. Tensions have been rising for months now. There have been terrorist attacks in Amsterdam, Russia and Afghanistan. Even rumors of a bio weapon released in South America. Not to mention the financial crisis and the constant provocations by North Korea. I was worried all-out war was coming. This place… the previous owner wasn't a prepper like her father, so it was easy enough to buy it. When the Koreans ceased all communication with us… that's when I was absolutely certain that this would happen." Carmelita responded.

Bentley suddenly shouted. "What about Penelope? She's still out there! We've got to save her!"

Just then, the entire bunker shook as it was hit by a massive shockwave. Bentley looked devastated as he realized what that meant. "…no" he sobbed. Sly collapsed in the nearest chair and buried his face in his hands. Murray placed his hand on Bentley's shoulder. "Look Bentley," he begun "You shouldn't blame yourself. You did everything you could with what you knew."

"That doesn't change anything. I'll… I'll never see her again." Tears ran down Bentley's face as he spoke.

"You can't be sure of that! Penelope's a smart girl. She could have found shelter somewhere!"

"I- I hope you're right." Bentley said as he did his best to compose himself. "So, now what?"

"We wait. Not much more we can do. Eventually we'll go topside again. Your effects are all here by the way, in the bag." Answered Carmelita.

"So we have a cane, some bombs and some sleep darts. That is all that's left..." Sly said.

"No, Ringtail. We're here too."

"Right…" Sly lifted his head out of his hands. "Why did you help us out?"

"Because I-", Carmelita couldn't bring herself to say it. She felt selfish. Like she abandoned the people she swore to protect in their time of need. And for what? Just to be with Sly? "Because, you have all helped me out in the past. Several times. I felt it was only fair." The words rang hollow in her ears. She couldn't even convince herself.


	3. Life and Death

Six months later…

10:04 AM, Louisiana, Bunker

"So this is it then, we're finally going topside… Any idea where we're heading?" Sly asked.

"Back to New Orleans for now. There could be anything there. Survivors, supplies, even an entire organized community." Responded Carmelita.

"Or a massive radioactive crater."

Carmelita rolled her eyes at the remark. "Perhaps, Cooper, but we still need to check. Bentley, how are the readings on the atmospheric sensors?"

Bentley typed a few commands into the old computer to try and get as much data as possible. "Toxin and radiation levels are down and the weather seems to have returned to normal. No dust storms. It should be mostly safe to go outside."

"It's the best we can get. Remember, you and Murray are to keep your eyes open for any potential threats. If anyone you don't know approaches the bunker, assume they are hostile."

"Don't worry Carmelita, the Murray will let no one through!"

"Good. Cooper and I will be in touch via the binocucom."

"Be careful you two. There's no telling what could be waiting out there." Said Bentley.

"All the same to you guys." Responded Sly.

"Oh and Sly? If you… happen to find anything that might suggest that…" Bentley hesitated. For the past six months he's been holding on to the hope that Penelope somehow survived. But he was afraid, now that he may finally know for certain.

"Don't worry pal. We'll keep our eyes peeled." Sly reassured him. Sly and Carmelita then climbed up the stairs to the bunker's door. Carmelita took a deep breath.

"Ready, Cooper?"

"As I'll ever be."

Carmelita opened the bunker's door and the two of them walked outside. The van wasn't outside the bunker anymore. The land itself had changed considerably. What was once just greenery and trees was now overgrown with a plethora of mutated flowers and mushrooms of varying bright colors, shapes and sizes. Despite the relatively short amount of time that had passed, the roads were cracked and overgrown as well. A large iridescent butterfly flew in front of Sly and Carmelita, then settled on a cyan flower just beside the raccoon.

"Hmm… how many nukes do you think went off?" asked Sly.

"Not enough to cause nuclear winter it seems. Come on, let's go."

The two of them began the long walk towards the city. The walk was tiring but oddly peaceful. The new, colorful vegetation with its exotic smells and the non-stop calls and chirps betrayed the fact that this place was teeming with life. Eventually Sly and Carmelita reached the city limits and entered New Orleans. They were greeted by quiet, dust and half collapsed buildings. There was almost a grey tint in the air. This place was dead. The streets had plenty of charred, ruined vehicles strewn about.

"I take it we're not going to find that organized community you were hoping for."

"Maybe not but there could still be supplies left around here."

"So what do we do then? Search any apartment buildings that are still standing, go for any office buildings, supermarkets or…?"

"Supermarkets were most likely the first targets by looters during the direct aftermath of the bombs. Office towers on the other hand aren't such obvious targets but most of them would contain bottled water and, if we're lucky, even kitchens. Not to mention the supply closets may contain valuable tools. So that's our best shot."

The two of them went to the nearest office tower. The windows were all shattered and the computer equipment was destroyed and tossed around. They began searching but it was slowly becoming clear that this search was going to be completely fruitless. Someone seemed to have stripped the place of anything useful. Just then Sly noticed a small RC chopper flying in through one of the broken windows. Though it had quite a few jury rigged modifications done to it Sly was still certain. That was Penelope's. Sly called for Carmelita and as she ran over, he explained to her what the RC helicopter most likely meant. The chopper flew out of the window and then hovered right there, as if the one controlling it wanted them to follow. Sly and Carmelita both exited the office tower and followed the chopper.

Eventually they arrived at a crumbling building, having found no signs of life on the way. The chopper stopped and landed just outside a metal trap door, leading to a basement. As they approached, the trap door opened and Penelope climbed out. She ran towards Sly and Carmelita, almost ecstatic. "Sly! Inspector Fox. I can honestly say I'm glad to see you both!"

"Same here Penelope." Sly responded.

"Bentley and Murray, are they alright as well?"

"Yeah, they're both back at the bunker."

"How did you end up in a fallout bunker?"

"Listen I'll explain everything on the way back, for now let me contact Bentley, he'll be thrilled to know you're alright."

Sly picked up the binocucom and tried to get in contact with Bentley. However it seemed that even with the range modification Bentley had installed, they were still too far away. The three of them eventually took the long road back to the bunker, carrying with them the supplies Penelope had been gathering with her RC vehicles and stockpiling in her shelter. Sly told Penelope everything that had happened after their arrest in New Orleans. Once they reached the halfway mark they stopped to rest and Sly tried once again to contact Bentley via the binocucom.

"Bentley do you read me?"

"Loud and clear Sly. What's going on?"

"If you're standing up right now sit down, I've something very important to tell you."

"Is this about…?"

"Yeah, we found her, she's alive and well and we're coming back to the bunker right now."

"Be still my heart… Penelope is alive?! Just get back here as soon as you are able!"

"Of course pal."

The binocucom once again went silent. Sly heard Penelope and Carmelita discussing how unexpected it was for the countryside to be as lush and full of life as it is, it seemed to almost be fuller of life now than it was pre-apocalypse. As they talked, he noticed a small lizard crawling through the undergrowth. Its golden scales glistened brilliantly in the afternoon sun. Sly, Penelope and Carmelita continued moving towards the bunker. Eventually they arrived. Carmelita opened the door and all three of them walked down the stairs.

As soon as Penelope and Bentley saw each other again after so long they ran at each other and embraced for a while.

"Told you so Bentley." Said Murray.

"Yes big guy, you did."

Sly casually walked around them and went to the cabinet with the bottles and picked out some chardonnay. "I'd say this calls for a celebration, don't you guys think?"

Carmelita gave Sly a stern look. Then she laughed. "Sure thing, Ringtail" she finally said.

Murray went to the old computer and put on a few songs to play on repeat, then everyone poured themselves a glass of wine. And then another. And another… the bottle gradually emptied. Then a bottle of scotch was opened.

Sly shot Carmelita a side-eyed look as the next song, "Only you", started up. She smiled as she felt his eyes on her. Carmelita took a large gulp of her drink, then topped everyone's glasses off. Bentley and Penelope held hands throughout the whole song. Once the song finally ended Carmelita turned to Sly, placed her hands on his shoulders and spoke softly. "Ringtail I'm-", Sly pressed his finger against her mouth. "Shh… I know, me too." he smiled and leaned forwards. At the last moment he pulled himself back and turned to look at Murray.

"My friend," he began "will you do us the honor of marrying us?"

Murray, under the influence of alcohol as well, laughed at the top of his lungs, then shouted. "Have you ever seen me turn down a favor for my friend? Prepare to get married!"

"I can't believe I lived to see this!" said Bentley, slurring his words considerably.

Murray began his speech. "We have gathered here today to celebrate the marriage of our friends, Carmelita Montoya Fox and Sly Cooper! So… do you, Carmelita, take Sly to be your husband, till death do you part?"

"I do" said the fox.

"And do you, Sly, take Carmelita to be your wife, till death do you part?"

"I do" said the raccoon.

"You may now kiss the bride!"

Sly once again leaned forward, this time planting a kiss on Carmelita's lips. "You are so beautiful when you smile, you know?" Sly whispered.

Carmelita slightly giggled. "You're not so bad yourself Ringtail." she responded.

Penelope wiped a stray, singular tear from her right cheekbone and turned to Bentley. "When will we be up there, exchanging our own vows?"

"Soon Penelope, very soon." said Bentley, then he gave her a couple of kisses on either side of her face.

The rest of the night was quick and uneventful by comparison. Eventually everyone fell asleep, Murray on his bed, Bentley and Penelope also in their beds and the newlyweds on the floor, having passed out in each other's arms.

12:53 PM, Louisiana, Bunker

Carmelita was awoken by a raspy noise directly in her left ear. As she woke up completely she realized that raspy noise was Sly's breathing. She turned her head and looked at him. For a moment she felt happy. She then realized she had a splitting headache and all the memories of the previous night came back. "Oh you idiot Montoya…" she said as she rubbed her temples. "You idiot… what did you do?"


	4. To drier pastures

1:00 PM, Louisiana, Bunker

Carmelita was sipping warm coffee at the plastic table when she noticed Sly stir and open his eyes. “Hey there, Sly. Had a good night’s sleep?”  
Sly groggily stood up and placed his hand over his eyes. “Sure I did. Kind of wish I didn’t wake up though. I feel like I got hit in the head with a morning star.”   
“You and me both, Sly. There’s some coffee in the kitchen, I made enough for everyone.”  
“Oh good. Thanks.”  
Sly stumbled into the kitchen and poured himself a mug of coffee, then returned to the first room of the bunker and sat down next to Carmelita.  
“Hey, um, Sly? We need to talk about something.” She began.  
“What is it?”  
“Well, the whole marriage thing… I’m not saying that I regret it…”  
“But?”  
“But we live in an increasingly unpredictable world now. Anything could happen at any time. I don’t think we have the luxury of being in love anymore. If the worst happens… Can you imagine how much pain you or I will be in?”  
“Hmm… I think we should take the opportunity now that we finally have it. This world may be unpredictable and possibly dangerous but I think it’s the only world where we can be together. As for the pain… I’m willing to take that risk. Are you?”  
The fox contemplated her lover’s words. Her train of thought was interrupted as Bentley stumbled into the room, coffee mug in hand. “Oh, hey there you two. How are the newlyweds doing?”  
“Right as rain, excluding the hangover. And you?” Sly responded.  
“Well, other than the fact that I want to throw up, I’m okay. So have you guys figured out what we’re doing?”  
“Let’s give everyone a chance to wake up, then we’ll talk about it.”  
“Alright inspector.”

1:30 PM, Louisiana, Bunker

After everyone finished up their morning rituals and tried their best to find at least some relief from their hangover, they all gathered around the table. Carmelita spoke first.  
“Now, we all know why we’re here. We need to decide our course of action. I suggest we move. Get out of here and try to find a small town or some farmland. The supplies in this bunker won’t last much longer.”  
“I agree. And if there are other survivors out there, we could establish a self-sufficient community. Or at least join one.” Said Sly  
Murray spoke next. “I’m in too. We’ve been cooped up in this bunker far too long.”  
“I believe we should head west, then travel alongside the Mississippi river. If there are survivors, they’ll have most likely migrated closer to the river, so as to have a source of water close by.” Bentley suggested.  
“Is it settled then? We’re going west?” Penelope asked.  
Everyone looked at each other, then nodded. They packed up, grabbing everything that wasn’t nailed down, and then they left the bunker behind. They marched west, moving quickly through the countryside. It took a full day of walking but they reached Gonzales the next morning.  
They were greeted by large walls of scrap metal and wood. As they approached they heard the ear piercing whine of a megaphone turning on, then the lookout’s voice echoed. “You are approaching the town of Gonzales. State your intent.”  
Everyone in the new Cooper gang looked at each other for a moment, then Sly responded. “We’re just looking for a new home.”  
The lookout’s voice echoed once more. “I’m afraid you’ve come to the wrong place. We simply don’t have the supplies to support any more people, we’re stretched thinner than we should be as it is.”  
“We can help you! We have the schematics for purifiers and generators. Water, power, any issue you have with those, we can solve it. All we need is materials.” Shouted Bentley.  
“You can build all that? Very well, approach the gate.” Said the lookout.   
As the gang moved closer, they saw the large gate swing open and a skinny albino rat holding a rifle came out to greet them. “Come on, follow me. You’ll have to talk to our leader, Darius first.” His voice was coarse and dry. The city of Gonzales initially appeared to be in much better shape than New Orleans. And yet once someone saw past the trees and other plant life, they’d notice the people and realize that this place was still far from well. One in four buildings seemed to be abandoned and there was a general air of malaise. The looks in the sunken in eyes of passersby didn’t help matters at all.  
They finally arrived at the city hall, the rat escorted them inside and after turning a few corridors they reached the mayor’s office. “Darius sir, these are the travelers I mentioned.” The rat’s overgrown mustache shook as he spoke. Darius proved to be a grey wolf of medium stature, dressed up in a patched up tailcoat whose once bright red color had faded into a dusty maroon. Darius stopped smoking his calabash pipe and addressed the guard.  
“Thank you Michael, you may return to your post now.”  
The rat left the room and Darius turned to the gang. “So, Michael told me you guys are some sort of experts? That you may be able to solve our water problems. Can you really build a water purifier?”  
Bentley responded. “Yes sir. We have the schematics and the proper know-how to build a water purifier, along with the generators that would power such a device. We simply need the proper materials.”  
“And what materials would those be?”  
“For the purifier we’ll need a few pipes, two water tanks, activated charcoal for the filter and some gauze or cheese cloth. For the generators we’ll require some strong magnets, wires, a rotating axle of some kind and a large battery, like that of a car. And of course, ethanol for the fuel.”  
“I see… well if there’s one thing we seem to have plenty of, it’s scrap. The warehouses on the west side of the city are full of it. One of the few things the raiders have left us… Not a lot of ethanol around but we could try to spare some. Anyways, I’ll need your names.”  
Sly introduced himself first but before the others had a chance to do so as well, the mayor spoke up once more.  
“Hold on a minute. Sly Cooper? As in the Cooper gang? You guys used to be famous before the war! Well if that’s the case then we could use some help with our raider issue.”  
“Sure, anything you guys need.” Sly said.  
“Well, there’s a large band of raiders coming from Baton Rouge, call themselves the corporals. An army of ex-gangsters that managed to loot a military base. Now they’re all armed to the teeth with military grade equipment and weapons. We cannot face them head on so we’ve made a deal. We give them ethanol, water and food for “protection”. But you guys, you’re masters of subterfuge. You could use asymmetric warfare against them. We’ll do our best to aid you, of course.”  
“Hmm… we’ve faced worse threats over the years I suppose. But then again we never fought in conditions such as these.” Said Bentley.  
“We’ve got to try Bentley! We can’t leave these guys to the mercy of the raiders!” Murray yelled.  
“No you’re right big guy. We’ve got to try.”  
“Amazing. I’m giving ownership of the large house in the east side of the city to you, so you guys can use it as a safe house. I suggest you try to solve our water problem first. Extra water means a healthier town, which in turn means more people strong enough to help you out.”  
“Of course sir. Thank you.” Said Bentley as they finished their conversation with the mayor and left his office. They all went for the safe house the mayor had given them, to organize themselves. When they finally arrived they noticed the house was a little worse for wear, with a few cracks in the walls alongside vines with dark purple flowers growing on them. They got inside and settled in the living room.  
“Well, what do we do?” Asked Sly.  
“I find myself in agreement with Darius, we should first fix the water problem. We need a strong base of operations before taking on the corporals. I, Penelope and Murray will get to work building the water purifiers and generators. Sly, you’re the best out of all of us at clandestine ops, so I want you to head out and scout the surrounding area. Try and take some pictures of any patrol routes the raiders use. If you can, try taking a few pictures of their base as well. Don’t put yourself in any unnecessary danger though. I noticed a few bicycles at the entrance, use one of those so you can move fast enough to do this.”  
“Understood.” responded the raccoon.  
“It’s twelve ‘o clock now, I want you to be back by five. You should get going right now.”   
“Always a slave to the schedule, that’s me.” Sly got up and left the safe house.  
“Inspector, I want you to head to the cop station. I noticed quite a few guards hanging around there on our way in, they most likely use it as an HQ to organize the city guard, head over there and see if you can aid the defensive effort.”  
“Alright Bentley” Answered Carmelita and also left the safe house.  
“No time to waste guys, let’s move it.” Said Bentley as they all got up and left the safe house.  
While Bentley, Murray and Penelope were moving to the west side of the city, Sly had already reached the entrance. The lookout allowed him to borrow one of the bicycles once Sly explained his mission. Sly got onto the bike and began pedaling towards Baton Rouge.   
Eventually he spotted an enemy patrol. Sly hid in the undergrowth and took out his binocucom. He snapped a few pictures of the patrol, as well as the road they were using. Once the patrol left, Sly got out of his hiding place. He was about to climb back onto his bike when he felt a sting in the back of his neck. When he examined the sore spot, he found some kind of dart stuck inside him. As he pulled it out he started to feel extremely woozy. He turned around, to see a figure in white robes with a pointy white hood holding a blowgun. He tried to run away but his movements were slow and his vision hazy. He passed out very quickly.


	5. A Fatal Encounter

5:10 PM, Gonzales

Carmelita looked at the time once more. There was no denying it any longer. Sly wasn’t coming back. Something had clearly happened to him. She decided to cut her shift short and talk things over with Bentley. When she finally found him she saw him still busy with the generators.  
“Bentley, Sly hasn’t come back yet. I’m worried something’s happened to him.”  
Bentley crawled out from underneath the half-finished generator and looked at his watch.  
“Five ten?! He should have been back by now!”  
“So what do we do? Create a search party to try and find him?”  
“…damn it. No. If Sly’s been found out then the corporals might decide to attack us in retaliation. We can’t spare the manpower right now. But we can’t just abandon Sly either, not without knowing what happened to him at least…”  
“I’ll go alone then. It’s not that much of a sacrifice in manpower to lose one person and there is no way I’m abandoning Sly to the mercy of those thugs.”  
“You can’t go alone.” Murray interjected “They’ll chew you up out there. I’ll come along as well.”  
“No, stay here. If… the worse has come to pass I want you to be here, so you can mount a counterattack.” Said the fox.  
“Ugh, I don’t like either plan. But I suppose we don’t have much choice here either way. Just be careful alright?”  
“Of course Bentley.” Responded Carmelita. She then went towards the entrance. “Police emergency, this is getting confiscated!” She said as she grabbed one of the bikes and started pedaling towards Baton Rouge. “Hey you can’t just…” Michael protested. But Carmelita was already gone before he finished his sentence.  
She pedaled out towards Baton Rouge until she happened upon another patrol. She got off the bike and prepared an ambush in the bushes next to the street. As the patrol passed by she began firing her shock pistol at them. Most of them dropped to the ground before they even had a chance to realize what was going on. The few ones that didn’t, surrendered immediately as Carmelita walked out of the bushes. She grabbed one of the goons that were still conscious. “What happened to the raccoon, Sly Cooper?!” she demanded. Before she could get an answer, a dart, much like the one that had hit Sly, struck her, and she too, fell unconscious.  
Carmelita was awoken by a sharp pain on the left side of her face.  
“Where did you come from?!” the huge bulldog in front of her demanded. Before Carmelita could even begin to think of a response another fist struck her, on her right cheek this time.   
“This one’s an idiot, she can’t even speak. What’s your name?! Where did you come from?! You’re not from Gonzales so what are you doing here?!” Before she could speak, another punch landed on her face. The next three blows came consecutively and struck the fox in the stomach.  
As the bulldog repeated his question Carmelita screamed through tears while desperately trying to catch her breath. “I’m ex-Interpol! I settled in Gonzales recently. My name is Carmelita Montoya Cooper…”  
The torturer turned to the ram standing behind him. “She said she’s a recent settler sir. It’s likely that the raccoon is another recent one just like her. They were most likely scouting out, trying to spy on us.”  
“Yes my ears work just fine you know.” Said the ram. “Hmph… execute the raccoon, and keep her. She’s proven to be more cooperative after all.” The ram then left the room. As the torturer turned his back to Carmelita she bit off the rope holding her right hand down to the chair’s arm, then untied the rope holding her left hand. When she got up off the chair the bulldog turned around, and she doubled him over with a kick to the gut. She then finished him off with a heel kick to the back of the head. She searched him, finding a keyring and also making the disquieting discovery that he was no longer breathing.   
Carmelita felt a cold chill in her chest. Though she had ordered lethal force to be used in the past, she had never killed someone herself. She knew that she might have found herself in a situation where she’d need to kill, even before the war. And yet she never expected her first kill to be such a brutal, close-up affair. A feeling of strength and fear welled up inside her. This new feeling was one she was not comfortable with. She always saw herself as someone fighting for justice, not as a killer. She tried her best to fight through it, this wasn’t the right time for sentimentalities.   
The corporals hadn’t gone through any serious trouble when it came to disarming her, her shock pistol was laying down beside the bulldog. It must have fallen out of his jacket when Carmelita attacked him. She picked it up and got out of the room, finding herself in a large corridor with cells lining the walls. It seemed she was in some sort of mental institute.  
She began looking through the cells, hoping to find Sly in one of them. She finally found him at cell A1, at the other end of the corridor. Carmelita unlocked the door with the keys she got from the torturer and got inside. Sly was passed out, still tied to the chair and in bad shape. There was some dried blood going from his nose and mouth all the way down to his neck. He had bruises on his mouth and around his eyes. Carmelita gently shook him and Sly stirred and groaned as he woke up. “…what the… Carmelita?! Are you crazy, what are you doing here?”  
“Quiet down Ringtail, I’m rescuing you.” She whispered as she untied Sly from the chair. “Can you walk?” She finally asked.  
“I- I think so.” Responded Sly. He got up off the chair but then bent over in pain, holding the lower left side of his chest. “Ugh! That meathead must have broken my ribs…”  
“It doesn’t matter. I will carry you out of here if I have to.” Said Carmelita.  
“No, I’ll be fine. Look I’ll follow your lead. Just… try not to move too fast.”  
Carmelita and Sly both exited the cell and moved towards the exit door. As they exited the corridor with the holding cells they found themselves in a stairwell. They climbed down the stairs and ended up in what appeared to be the reception area. There were two guards in that area, a beefy hog sitting in the chair behind the desk and a grey rat standing a little further away. Carmelita and Sly hid behind a couple of stretchers that were pressed up vertically against the wall.   
“Still feeling sore over not getting your own squad after what happened last night?” Asked the rat.  
“Will you shut up?” Responded the hog.  
“Will you shut up?” Repeated the rat in a mocking tone.  
“Don’t you have anything better to do, like, I don’t know, your job?! You’re supposed to be guarding cell block A, not needling me. They’re gonna kill you if anyone escapes, you know that right?”  
“Oh come on,” Said the rat, “El Puncho has got the keys to the cells and he’s in cell block A right now, beating some information out of that dog the ghosts captured for us. How’s anyone gonna escape?”  
“She’s a fox not a dog you knuckle dragger.”  
“Well whatever she is, I’d sure love to be in El Puncho’s shoes right now.”  
“Okay… I’m not going to ask why.”   
Carmelita and Sly remained hidden behind the stretchers, both of them trying to resist the urge to get out of their hiding place and knock the rat’s teeth out, until the hog began to wonder what was taking El Puncho so long.  
“How about you go check on him instead of bothering me huh?” The hog growled at the rat.  
“Let the man enjoy himself, he’ll be down in a second. Seriously, what do you have against people that enjoy their jobs?”  
“I don’t care if he’s enjoying his job, I just want you gone.”  
“Oh geez, fine! I took one break and you had to ruin it.”  
“Finally!” Said the hog.  
The rat started walking towards the stairs. As he passed by the couple’s hiding place Carmelita hooked her left arm around the rat’s neck from behind, using him as a shield. The hog pulled out his pistol and began firing towards Carmelita. Just before she could electrocute the hog, a shot from the guard’s pistol struck the rat in the chest. The force of the shot knocked both Carmelita and the rat down, and sent her shock pistol flying backwards. Sly jumped out from behind the stretchers, grabbed the shock pistol and fired a shot at the hog. His shot struck true, hitting the hog in the face and knocking him out. Carmelita then knocked out the rat with a stomp to the face. Sly then gave her back the shock pistol.  
She and Sly barely had time to hide again as the front door unlocked and another guard walked in, looking around and nervously holding his weapon. “What’s going on here?” He then noticed the empty reception chair. The hog had fallen behind the desk and wasn’t visible to the guard at this moment. “Rick? Where are you?”  
As the guard approached the reception desk, Carmelita snuck up behind him, grabbed him and pressed the barrel of her pistol on his head. “Try to scream or fight back and I’ll fry your brains.” She whispered in as intimidating a voice as she could.  
The guard gulped noticeably and then nodded. “Now, you are going to help us break out of here. Got it?” Carmelita asked. The guard nodded once more. “Sly? We’re breaking out of here, right?”  
“Hold on a moment.” Said Sly as he walked up to the guard and asked him the one question he wanted to ask. “Where’s my cane?”  
“The cane? Oh the one with the golden hook on top? Last I saw Lara had grabbed it from the warehouse. Said she really liked it. Her post is in front of the warden’s office, through that door there, at the end of the corridor. If she’s not there then she’ll probably be in the break room. It’s in the same corridor, door to your right. That’s all I know, I swear.”  
Carmelita spoke once more. “Great, now how do we leave once we get out of this building?”  
The guard grunted. “You can use my motorbike, it’s got enough ethanol to get you out of the city for sure. The keys are in my back pocket. Will you let me go now, please?”  
Carmelita whacked him in the head with her pistol a couple of times and the guard fell unconscious. “Huh, I’ve never seen you this… aggressive before. I mean, the way you threatened the guy… you nearly scared me.” Said Sly.  
“What did you want me to do? Offer him a cold beer and discuss our terms of release?” Responded Carmelita.  
“No, that’s not what I meant. I’ve just never seen you act like this, that’s all.”  
Carmelita sighed. “Let’s just get your cane and get out of here”. She said as she grabbed the keys off the knocked out guard, as well as his pistol, which she gave to Sly.  
The pair of them moved through the door the guard pointed and continued down the corridor. There was no one there so they got inside the break room. There they found Lara, a thin snow tiger, holding Sly’s cane in her hands. Before she could react Sly shot her with the guard’s pistol, knocking her to the floor. He then went towards her, grabbed his cane and hooked it around the tiger’s neck, then slammed her into the wall.  
“Sorry girl, family heirloom. Buy a knockoff at the gift shop.” He said whilst trying not to scream in pain, as the maneuver put a lot of strain on his damaged ribs.  
They then ran out of the break room and got back into the reception area and just in time too, as the warden had heard the commotion and had gotten out of his office to investigate.  
Carmelita and Sly got out of the asylum and found the guard’s motorbike. Carmelita got on the bike and Sly sat down behind her, wrapping his left arm around her waist. She turned the bike on and they hightailed it out of there. They drove through the streets of Baton Rouge as quickly as they could, most corporals didn’t seem to pay any attention to them but they didn’t want to risk slowing down and possibly getting recognized. Eventually they got out of the city and onto the open road.  
Meanwhile, Bentley, Murray and Penelope had informed Darius that the corporals may be getting ready to attack in retaliation and he organized the city’s defense as best he could. Penelope used her RC chopper to scan the area, giving the city an advance warning system in case of an attack. This, however, served to draw the attention of someone else entirely. He continued making his way to Gonzales, being only a short five minute walk away…


	6. Under Siege

Before Penelope could focus on the mysterious figure, a large motorbike making its way down the road caught her attention. As her RC chopper approached it she noticed that the riders were none other than her friends. She quickly picked up the binocucom.  
“Bentley, Murray, I found Sly! Carmelita is bringing him back here on a bike. They’re both okay.”  
“Thank you for telling me Penelope, I am glad they’re both alright.” Said Bentley.  
“What about the attack we were worried about Bentley?” Murray asked.  
“We’re staying alert for the moment. Penelope, you keep scanning the area.”  
“Of course, Bentley” She responded.   
Eventually the motorbike parked just outside the gates, which then opened, allowing Sly and Carmelita to walk in. Bentley came down to the gate to greet them. He then noticed the bad shape Sly was in.  
“Sly! What happened to you?”  
“They captured me. Got tied up and beaten.”  
“I’m sorry Sly, I shouldn’t have sent you out there to begin with. We could have used Penelope’s RC vehicles to scout out the area instead.”  
“They would have been spotted even easier than I was. Anyway it doesn’t matter now. I’m back. And they didn’t get anything out of me so, we’re good.”  
“They didn’t get anything out of you but… they did get something out of me.” Carmelita admitted.  
“They captured you as well? What did you tell them?” Asked Bentley.  
“They know I’m from Gonzales.”  
“Drat! They’ll almost certainly attack now! Sly you should head to the clinic, Inspector we need your help to defend the city.”  
“Certainly.” She answered.  
“Stay safe you guys.”  
With that Sly left for the clinic and the others got back up onto the walls. As they did so, a mysterious figure came closer and closer to the wall, its features hidden in the darkness.  
Michael once again picked up the megaphone. “You are approaching the town of Gonzales, state your intent.” He did his best to sound authoritative, yet the fear in his voice was clear.  
The figure shouted back. “Looking for a new crib bro. The last one got razed to the ground by those two-bit crackerboxes coming out of le capital.”  
“Wait a minute, I’d recognize that voice anywhere. Dimitri? Is that you?” Shouted Bentley.  
“Turtle man?” The figure said as it approached the wall even more. Now that it was close enough, its features were revealed to be those of a purple marine iguana carrying a backpack and two large suitcases. Dimitri had arrived.  
At this distance he could see everyone on the walls. His eyes settled on the new Cooper gang.  
“Ha! The big cats are in the house! This is going to be like old times again, good times!”  
“Um, I take it you know this guy?” asked the albino rat.  
“Yeah, we pulled off a couple of jobs together before the war.” Bentley responded.  
“Wait, he was a member of the gang? Then I should let him in! He could be proved useful.”  
The gates opened once more and Dimitri swaggered inside. Michael led him to the mayor’s office. Darius decided to settle Dimitri in the same house as the rest of the Cooper gang. Dimitri and Michael then returned to the walls, where they got ready to repel the possible attack by the corporals. As soon as they got in position they noticed lights in the distance, accompanied by the telltale sound of ethanol engines. The corporals were here. Everyone grabbed a weapon and prepared for battle.  
“Ready to fight, everyone?” asked Bentley.  
“I’m pumped!” Murray loaded up his machinegun.  
“Showtime baby!” Dimitri armed his electric ring, which he then used to create enough sparks to light up another cigarette.  
“Vehicles are all in position.” Penelope adjusted her glasses as she prepared her RC vehicles, both of which had turrets mounted on them.  
“Ready to use lethal force.” Carmelita charged her shock pistol.  
Michael smiled as he flip-cocked his rifle, most of his fear gone. “Well everyone, we got ourselves a legendary gang on our side. Try to put on a good show!”  
The Corporals stopped their vehicles and began running towards Gonzales. Michael began a countdown.   
1, 2, 3…  
4, 5, 6…  
7, 8, 9…  
“Fire at will!!!”  
“Attack!!!” Bentley screamed as he took aim and started firing explosive bolts from his ballista.  
“Destroy!!!” Murray let out his battle cry and began spraying machinegun fire at the corporals.  
“Let’s dance!!!” Dimitri yelled out as he got up out of cover and started shooting.  
Penelope stayed behind cover and began maneuvering her RC car and chopper around to attack the corporals from behind.  
Carmelita screamed a battle cry as she got up and started firing her shock pistol at the mass of enemies moving towards the defenders.  
The corporals started to return fire as they charged forward. A shot hit Michael in the shoulder, causing him to cry out in pain and stumble backwards, but he managed to stay up and continue firing.  
Penelope’s RC vehicles reached the corporals’ exposed back and began to shoot. Most of the enemies scattered but kept pushing forward. Some of them turned around and attacked the vehicles instead.  
Bentley inserted another bolt into his ballista. As he took aim a shot from a hand-cannon hit him in the head, shattering his glasses and throwing him off the wall. Murray and Dimitri noticed Bentley fall but managed to maintain their composure and stay in the fight. Penelope, however, screamed Bentley’s name as she ran off the walls and towards him. When she finally reached him she noticed that he wasn’t moving. There was blood streaming down his face.  
“No… no, Bentley …please…” Tears blurred her vision as she faced the fact that he was dead. Penelope placed her hand on Bentley’s chest and that’s when she felt a faint movement. He was still breathing, if only shallowly. She wiped away her tears and started shouting for a medic. The medic, standing in between Murray and Dimitri heard Penelope call for him. He turned to Murray. “I’m needed down there! You’re gonna have to cover me!”  
“You got it! Go!” said Murray and the medic ran down, off the wall, and reached the spot where Bentley lied unconscious.  
“Give me some room, let me work on him. You can get back in the fight.” Said the medic. Penelope nodded her head and climbed back onto the walls. Her RC vehicles, however, were both destroyed. Instead she grabbed Bentley’s ballista and bolts and began firing.  
Yet another corporal found his mark, hitting Michael directly in the face. He fell back, his red eyes now glassy and dull. “The captain is down! He’s dead!” screamed one of the defenders that was standing next to him. Confusion and fear gripped the defenders as they realized that their captain was killed.  
“Nobody panic!” Shouted Murray. “You panic now and it’s all over! There’s nowhere to run and nowhere to hide! Keep fighting, we’ll wear them down!”  
Murray’s words took hold. The defenders returned to their posts, now fighting with more anger and desperation than discipline. The battle continued, both sides taking casualties but neither managing to score that elusive decisive strike that would turn the tide. Carmelita turned to Murray. “Murray, take anyone you need and get around them!”  
“Flank them? Got it! Penelope, I want you with me on this one!”  
“I’m ready when you are!”  
Murray turned to a few other defenders. “Great! You three, come with me, we’re flanking them!”  
“Hold the line!” Carmelita yelled at the top of her lungs.  
Murray led his team towards the west side of the city and got them outside via the western gate. They pushed forward as fast as their legs would allow, until they reached the spot they were supposed to be in. Murray unleashed a primal scream as he began firing his weapon at the corporals’ exposed side. A split second later the rest of his team joined in.  
This move disoriented and disorganized the corporals, as they were no longer in a position where they could fight off a flanking maneuver, due to the losses they had already suffered. Three more defenders fell against them, one from Murray’s team and two from the walls. But that was the last of what the corporals could do, before scattering and retreating back to their vehicles, then hightailing it all the way to Baton Rouge.  
Murray and his team returned to Gonzales, victorious after the flanking maneuver. They reunited with Carmelita and Dimitri and tried to assess the situation. Penelope saw the medic and ran towards him. “Bentley, is he alright?” she asked him.  
“He woke up and was able to get to the clinic with minimal help, so, he’ll just need a couple of stitches. His helmet made it so he didn’t suffer much damage to the skull. It was mostly the shock that knocked him out. Whatever damage he may have suffered from is already done.”  
“That’s… good I suppose.” She said.  
“What do we do now?” Murray asked. “The corporals could come back.”  
“We should go talk with Sly and Bentley, we may have to think about abandoning the city. There’s no way we’ll be able to fend off another siege, especially if they come back in full force.” Said Carmelita.  
They all went to the clinic, to find Sly and Bentley resting up in room that had been converted into a recovery room. Bentley was wide awake, head in bandages while Sly was asleep.   
“Are you guys alright? What happened?” Bentley asked.  
“We’re fine, we managed to fend them off, for now.” Responded Penelope.  
“Ah, I’ve said this before but, you’re a heck of a woman Penelope.”  
“A lot of it was thanks to Murray actually. He rallied the troops after Michael was killed, not to mention that the decisive strike came from him.”  
“The captain’s dead? Drat, that’s quite a setback. Well, congratulations nonetheless Murray, I knew we could count on you.”  
“Of course Bentley. I wasn’t gonna let these guys get away with hurting my friends.”  
“Thanks big guy.” Bentley took a deep breath and continued. “Now the corporals will almost certainly be back, in much greater numbers. So tomorrow we’re all getting up early, to prepare an ambush or two. For now, we should get some rest.”  
Everyone was exhausted after the battle so they quickly agreed with Bentley and went back to the safe house to rest. Dimitri dotted the entire safe house with his paintings as he had brought as many of them as possible with him from the bunker he was at previously. So the gang fell asleep, to dream of Dimitri making art by way of kinetic aesthetic.


	7. Preparations

6:00 AM, Gonzales

Bentley’s alarm clock rang loudly, waking both Sly and Bentley from their slumber. Bentley sat up in his bed and yawned. “Come on Sly, time to wake up.”  
Sly stayed completely still in his bed, without even opening his eyes. “There a reason you set this thing to wake me up so rudely?”  
“Yes Sly, come on we have work to do.”  
Sly continued to remain absolutely still. “You sure it’s a good idea to move around in our condition?”  
“Does it really matter? We have to go get everyone else at the safe house and then execute our plan of defense. We don’t have the option to stay here.”  
“Alright fine.” The raccoon rolled over to his side so he could face Bentley, then sat up. “Can you bring me up to speed with the current events? Because I’m not sure I understand what this defensive plan of yours is.”  
“Very well. You already know that a bit after you and Carmelita came back we were attacked by the corporals. Now, Penelope and everyone else came by while you were sleeping and told me that we managed to fend off the siege thanks to Murray keeping everyone from running away as well scoring a decisive hit. The corporals will be back, in greater numbers. The best way to defend this place is to force the corporals out of their vehicles and ambush them on the road, before they reach us. We will simultaneously attack Baton Rouge with any remaining troops. Got all that?”  
“I’m not sure if ambushing them will work.” Sly said.  
“Why’s that?”  
“They have these… ghosts. Guys in white robes and pointy hoods. They’re the reason I and Carmelita got captured. They move around silently and are very difficult to spot. As far as I know, they hang around the normal patrols.” He explained.  
“Hmm… I don’t think they brought them along for the siege though. Either way, we’ll have to keep our eyes open. Not much more we can do.” Bentley concluded. “Now let’s get to the safe house.”

6:10 AM, Gonzales, Safe House

Sly and Bentley entered the safe house to find their friends already awake and waiting for them in the newly decorated living room. Sly then noticed the décor and the purple lizard responsible for it.  
“Dimitri? Long time no see, how’d you survive the war?”  
“Hidden in secret underground crib of course, Raccoonus Doodus.”  
“Huh, I never took you for a prepper.” Responded Sly.  
“Like a cocktail of many flavors, I have many hidden traits. Dig?”  
“Guys, you can have your reunion later, we need to execute our plan now.” Said Bentley.  
“Hey Bentley. Are you sure you and Sly are up for this?” Asked Carmelita.  
“I’ll be fine, I think. I was able to pass the physical exam and I feel alright.” Bentley responded.  
“You, Sly?”  
“Yeah, I’ll be alright. Doc said there’s nothing broken after all. I’ve got some severe bruises but that’s it. It’ll heal.”  
“Very well. So Bentley, what do we do?”  
Bentley cracked his knuckles and began explaining. “What we want to do is force them out of their vehicles and into our ambush. We shall spread caltrops at the street leading up to Team A, led by Dimitri, who will be waiting for them at Turnaround Welding Services and the warehouse beside the Ascension Sherriff’s Sub-Station. They shall block the entrances to the buildings as well as booby trap them, to ensure that the Corporals will be unable to get inside and attack Team A. We shall use Team B, led by me, to do the same thing at the road leading up to Dutch Town. Shower the road in caltrops and ambush them at the crossroads between Dutch Town Market, Smoothie King, Red River Bank and Walgreen Pharmacy. Meanwhile all non-combatants will take everything that isn’t nailed down and evacuate Gonzales. If either team reports in a failure the civilians are to continue moving towards New Orleans.”  
“You also said something about attacking Baton Rouge, right?” Sly questioned Bentley.  
“Precisely, Sly. You, Murray, Penelope and Carmelita will take any remaining forces and assault Baton Rouge. With the corporals’ main force away, it should be relatively easy to capture the city.”  
“Out of the question Bentley. I am not leaving you again, not after what happened yesterday.” Penelope said.  
Bentley failed to hide a slight smile. “Fine. Penelope you’re with me on Team B. Now we should really get going. Dimitri, here are enough bombs to rig up a couple of booby traps. And remember to target the officers first. The corporals will be much easier to deal with if their command structure is destroyed. Everyone understand their role?”  
“Crystal clear, bro.” Responded Dimitri. “Finally, time for some old-fashioned, mafia-type, revenge. No one destroys the silky paintings of Dimitri and gets away with it.”  
Everyone left the safe house, split into three teams and got ready. Bentley went to the mayor’s office and explained the situation. It took some persuading but Darius eventually agreed to evacuate the city, and give Bentley, Dimitri and the others every able guard he had. They left the city as soon as they could.

9:55 AM, Louisiana

“Sly, do you read?”  
“Loud and clear, Bentley.”  
“Team B is in position. Once Dimitri gets Team A in position as well, you are to push forward to Baton Rouge. You’ll likely be out of range so we won’t be able to communicate. If you see that the corporals still haven’t attacked, you are to wait until they do. If they’ve already left, you are to charge forward and destroy any resistance.”  
“I got it Bentley, don’t worry.”  
“Just making sure there are no problems, the plan must work flawlessly or we’re doomed.”  
Just then, Dimitri’s voice was heard through the binocucom.  
“Team A is ready to throw down baby.”  
“Alright! Sly, Dimitri’s in position, go!”  
Sly put down the binocucom and turned to his allies. “Well folks, this is it. Everyone’s doing what they’re supposed to, now it’s our turn. Remember, if we run into some sort of patrol we’re keeping away from it, spreading out and checking the surrounding area for any white spots. The last thing we need is one of their ghosts catching wind of what we’re about to do.”


	8. Taking The Fight To Them

12:02 PM, Louisiana, slightly south of Baton Rouge

Sly scanned the outskirts of Baton Rouge with the binocucom, seeing plenty of corporals frantically moving around, some on foot and some in vehicles. Amongst them were quite a few of their so called ghosts.  
“Hmm… there’s way too much activity, no way can we attack now. Everyone get comfortable, we may be here a while.”

2:00 PM, Louisiana, slightly south of Baton Rouge

Sly once again picked up the binocucom and scanned the outskirts of Baton Rouge. This time however the majority of the enemies were in vehicles and they were all leaving. Sly and his team hid as best they could in the swampy terrain, trying to ensure that the outgoing corporals wouldn’t see them. The cars passed them by and continued to move towards Gonzales, seemingly unaware of the assault team hidden in the bayou. As Sly got back up again he saw that there were a few corporals remaining at the streets leading into the city but there were also a few ghosts around the perimeter of the city, likely placed there specifically to guard against an attack directly from the bayou. 

2:15 PM, Louisiana, slightly south of Baton Rouge

Sly turned to his team.  
“Alright everyone, the corps have left the building, now it’s our turn to get inside. The ghosts likely communicate with central command via radio, get them before they transmit that they’re being attacked. Officers remain our prime targets. Everyone ready?”  
The team nodded affirmatively. Sly crept forward, cane in one hand and a pistol in the other, his team following close behind. As soon as they got out of the cover of the bayou they charged forward, firing their weapons. The ghosts fell to their attack before they were able to radio to command, but the sounds of combat drew the attention of the ones guarding the streets. Before the assault team could react, the corporals had already radioed in that they were being attacked.

2:16 PM, Dutch Town crossroads

Vehicles approached Dutch Town from the east. As they drove over the caltrops placed on the street their tires popped causing the vehicles to swerve wildly around the road. The corporals abandoned their cars and choose to walk the rest of the way to Gonzales. As they entered the kill zone, Bentley gave everyone the signal and Team B began firing. Bentley shot one of the officers in the head, killing him instantly. The corporals, disorganized by the sudden attack started scattering, some firing back and some running for the buildings Team B was hiding in. Another officer tried to maintain order but a shot to the arm and another in the face shut him up for good. The corporals inside the crossfire were as good as dead, but a few managed to get out of the kill zone and went for the entrances to Dutch Town Market, Smoothie King, Red River Bank and Walgreen Pharmacy, the latter being the building Bentley and Penelope were in. They began trying to bash down the door which, although barricaded and booby-trapped already showed signs of breaking. The rest of Team B couldn’t get a clear shot and therefore could not help. Zero maintenance over the past six months had already worn down the old door which finally broke open. The trap went off, killing the corporals that had tried to enter but also blowing open a large hole at the entrance, allowing the rest of them to get inside.

2:16 PM, in between Turnaround Welding Services and the Ascension Sherriff’s Sub-Station

The battle was already underway. Dimitri was doing a good enough job at leading Team A. Most of the enemy officers had already been killed and the remaining corporals were uncoordinated. Some of them stayed on the street and returned fire. Others went for the doors to the buildings Team A was hiding in. The doors however, were built solid. As Dimitri got out of cover and got ready to shoot once more, his electric ring malfunctioned due to frequent use. While he was distracted a shot from one of the corporals hit him in the chest, knocking him backwards. As he got back up he noticed a bundle of explosives get lobbed in through one of the broken windows. “Cover!” he screamed. But it was too late. Two of the guards at the window took the brunt of the explosion, saving everyone else but dying a screaming, fiery demise. More explosives were lobbed in.

2:20 PM, Baton Rouge

The assault team was steadily pushing deeper into Baton Rouge. They learned from a fallen corporal that the city hall was where central command was located. Enemies were converging on the team’s position but they were cut down as soon as they appeared. Suddenly a team of corporals came out of an alley and began firing their weapons, having successfully flanked the team. Murray took a few hits but was able to power through and continue firing. The corporals fell, but not before taking out almost every single guard. Now it was just Sly, Murray, Carmelita and two other members of the assault team, a calico cat and a german shepherd. They all ducked in another alleyway, trying to make it so that they would only fight a few corporals at a time, as well as protect themselves against another potential flanking maneuver.

2:20 PM, Dutch Town

“Stay focused on the guys attacking us!” Ordered Bentley. “There’s nothing we can do for the others now.” Though most of the enemies had been defeated, the remaining corporals had become dug in at the entrances of the four buildings and were engaged in a lengthy firefight with the ambushers. Both sides had taken casualties and both were getting desperate. Penelope took a shot to the stomach and another to her left leg. She dropped to the floor and laid there motionless for a moment. Then she managed to roll behind cover once more. Enraged, Bentley lobbed his final bomb at the corporals. The explosion was enough to destroy and destabilize the front of the building, causing that part of the structure to collapse onto the enemies’ heads. A ton of dust was kicked up, momentarily obscuring everyone’s vision. After the cloud of dust settled Bentley and the others saw that there was no one else at the entrance. Everyone that was there before had either been blown up or crushed. Bentley ran towards Penelope. “Penelope, are you alright? Can you move?”  
“Yeah, I’m- I’m ok. Hurts pretty bad but I don’t think it’s serious.”  
“Alright, stay here where it’s safe, I’ve got to go support the others.”  
“No way Bentley. I told you, I’m not leaving you again. I’m coming with you.”  
“But-“  
“No. After everything we’ve been through, I’m not going to let it all be for nothing.”  
Though Bentley didn’t like the idea of putting Penelope in any more danger he knew that she wouldn’t budge on this. And while he wouldn’t admit it, at least not now, he was proud of her.  
“Very well. Let’s go then.”

2:20 PM, in between Turnaround Welding Services and the Ascension Sherriff’s Sub-Station

“Back away from the windows!” Shouted Dimitri as he noticed the floor slightly buckle. The large amount of explosives thrown inside had made the floor unstable. As soon as everyone backed off, parts of the floor and the front wall collapsed. The firefight continued but without cover, Team A suffered heavy losses. Yet another grenade was thrown. As Dimitri saw the explosive fly towards him, he used his tail to slap the grenade and send it back to the corporals. This move took them by surprise and they were unable to run away in time. The explosion obliterated their ranks, allowing the rest of the team to finish the job. Before the final corporal went down he fired a shot at Dimitri, who was still out of cover. The shot struck him in the head, knocking him out completely. The last thing Dimitri heard was someone shouting for a medic before everything went dark.

2:30 PM, Baton Rouge

Sly, Murray and Carmelita pushed forward and got inside the Baton Rouge city hall. The three of them sported numerous injuries and every other member of the assault team was dead. Still, they pressed on. The small amount of corporals left proved to be no challenge to them, despite their injuries. Eventually they reached a large, empty room, inside of which was the leader of the corporals. He was a tall but thin alligator, dressed in long red robes with numerous pseudo-military embellishments on the arm and torso areas and armed with a massive hand-cannon and bundles of explosives. The team began firing their weapons at him but he proved to be an agile opponent, jumping around the room and firing back with his own weapon. Multiple missed shots from both sides made the walls weaken, and parts of the ceiling came crumbling down. As the two sides struggled for dominance a shot from the alligator’s hand-cannon struck Murray in the chest, knocking him back and tossing his weapon out of his hands. As he tried to recover, a bundle of dynamite was thrown towards him. Murray managed to roll just far enough that the explosion didn’t kill him. It still hit him however, and it was enough to knock him out cold.  
Now enraged, Sly charged towards the alligator and struck him with his cane numerous times. As he hooked his cane around the alligator’s neck, the gator managed to strike him with his hand-cannon, knocking him away. Before Sly could recover the reptile shot him with his weapon. The force of the projectile threw Sly into a pile of debris. He felt his breath leave his body, quickly followed by an intense, stabbing pain in his abdomen. If the air hadn’t left his lungs he would have cried out from the pain.  
Carmelita tried her best to hit the reptile but no matter what she did he just kept dodging her shots. Eventually the gator managed to land yet another hit, sending Carmelita to the floor. She laid there, completely motionless as the alligator walked towards her, ready to finish her off. The alligator reloaded his weapon as he approached. Carmelita continued to remain motionless, but with her grip firm on her shock pistol. The alligator loomed over her and took aim. Suddenly, she sat up and fired her weapon at the reptile. This attack took him by surprise and he was unable to dodge in time. Carmelita kept pressing down on the trigger. She hated this man and she didn’t want to stop hurting him. Suddenly, an image of the torturer flashed through her mind. She realized that, should she continue to press down on the trigger, she would kill this guy just like she killed that bulldog. Unlike everyone else she had killed that day and the day before, it wasn’t necessary to put him down. Most of the corporals had already been destroyed. She could simply knock this one out and take him into custody. The threat was already gone. In the end she decided not to go through with it. She didn’t want to turn into a remorseless killer. She fought off the hateful urge and let go of the trigger, but it was too late. The alligator’s robes had caught on fire, and as the electricity still surged through him, he was unable to put the flames out. All he could do was convulse on the floor until the fire set off the explosives he was carrying. There was nothing left of the gator but the charred outline of his body on the floor.  
Carmelita ran towards Sly, who was still on the spot the projectile from the hand-cannon had left him, covered in rubble. “Sly, are you alright, can you move?”  
The raccoon moaned in pain but did not respond.  
“Hold on, let me help you out of there.” She said as she began to shift the debris off of him. When she finally removed all of the shattered up concrete she made a shocking discovery. There was a short piece of rebar covered in blood and sticking out of Sly’s side. Carmelita took a step back in fear. Sly looked down and saw the metal rod he was impaled on.  
“…no, damn it…” he whimpered.  
“Hold on Ringtail, you’ll be alright, I’ll take care of you.”  
“Ah… I’m sorry Carmelita… I didn’t mean to cause you any pain. I just wanted you to know how much you meant to me.” Sly responded through pained grunts.  
“Stop it, stop it!” Answered Carmelita.  
A groan at the other side of the room betrayed the fact that Murray had regained consciousness. He looked around the room eventually noticing his friends at the other side. He got up and ran towards them. “Carmelita? Sly? Are you guys okay?” As he got closer he saw the rod sticking out of Sly’s side. “Oh no… what- what should we do?” he asked.  
“Listen Murray, I need you to try to find a first aid kit, this is their headquarters so there must be one inside this building.” Said Carmelita  
“Alright, but what about their leader, where is he?”  
“He’s dead. Now go, we have no time to spare!”  
With that Murray got up and exited the room. As he found himself inside the corridor again he tried to remember the rooms they had gone through when they entered the city hall. He couldn’t remember any first aid kits or any kind of healing supplies in any of those rooms. He decided to proceed deeper into the building. He entered into what appeared to be some sort of office room. After not seeing any first-aid stations on the walls he began to tear through the desks, ripping the drawers out and tossing everything around the room, trying to find a med-kit. It was, however, a fruitless search. Murray got out of the room and back inside the corridor again. As he did so, he was greeted by the sight of a corporal running towards him. He was carrying a duffel bag which, going by the sound it made, was full of various resources. Once he spotted Murray he stopped dead in his tracks and raised his arms up.  
“Don’t shoot me! I’m not a threat, I’m just trying to get out of this place!” He shouted with fear in his voice.  
“What do you have in that bag there?” Demanded Murray as he leveled his gun at the corporal.  
“I got a lot of stuff in here. Take it, take it all if you want, just don’t hurt me.”  
The corporal took the duffel bag in his hands and placed it on the floor. He then ran off. Murray ignored the corporal and searched through the bag. He found various tools, a couple of explosives and, finally, a first-aid kit. He took the kit out, slung the bag over his shoulder and ran back to the room Sly and Carmelita were in. As he rushed over to them, he saw that Sly was now slumped over and almost motionless, though he was still breathing.  
“I found the first-aid kit! What about Sly, will he be alright?”  
“I… I’m not sure. I think his organs are all intact but… he’s lost a lot of blood already.” She responded.  
Murray and Carmelita then carefully pulled Sly off of the metal rod and Carmelita did her best to clean, stitch up and bandage Sly’s wound.  
“Alright, come on, help me carry him. He won’t be waking up for a while, that much is certain.”  
“So what do we do now?” Asked Murray.  
“We’ll grab a car, we have to get back to Gonzales as soon as possible and get Sly to an actual doctor.”


	9. New Beginnings

Four months later…  
10:00 PM, Gonzales, Safe House

After all this time Gonzales had mostly recovered, not just from the raids of the corporals but from the destruction of the apocalypse itself. Without the corporals messing things up and with the gang’s help supply problems had become a thing of the past. This surplus eventually created a free market, which in turn allowed for an economy to become established. The town of Gonzales had become a thriving settlement.  
Dimitri, Bentley, Penelope, Murray and Carmelita were all sitting at the table in the center of the living room. They were discussing their next move.  
“Some pretty good arguments have been advanced. So I guess this is unanimous then.” Said Bentley.  
“Definitely Bentley, I no longer feel like sticking around this place.” Responded Murray.  
Dimitri spoke next. “I agree. The jig is up with this den. And there are others in need of help too.”  
“You mean others you want to sell your paintings to?” Joked Penelope.  
“Pain me though it does to leave all my fans from Gonzales behind, I need a fresh set of eyes, a new set of eyes, to gaze upon the lovely enigma of my latest masterpiece.” He answered. Everyone had a little laugh over this.  
“What about you Inspector, where do you stand in this?” Asked Bentley.  
“I want to help out others as well. And I’m sure that’s what Sly would want as well.” She said. Carmelita then took a few deep breaths and leaned forward on the table, clearly in discomfort.  
“Are you okay?” Murray asked her.  
“Yeah… I’m fine. I just felt a bit dizzy and… nauseous for a moment there.”  
“Could you be getting sick?” Bentley questioned.  
“Somehow I don’t think that’s the case.” She responded.  
“I see. Speaking of Sly… what’s taking him so long? He only went out to get groceries.”  
Almost as if on cue, Sly entered the safe house, holding two large paper bags in his hands.  
“Hey guys, sorry I’m late, the line at the market was way too long.” He said.  
“Don’t worry about it Sly. Listen, we were all thinking of getting out of here and Carmelita said that you’d be in as well.” Answered Bentley.  
“Uh yeah, I and Carmelita actually talked about this yesterday. There are more folks out there that may need help. Besides, staying in one place ain’t exactly our style, is it?”  
“Indeed. So uh, anyone know where we’re going?” Bentley finally asked.


End file.
